Tag Archives: Andre Dawkins

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 7

Josh Smith had a big week on the hardwood out West as he led Kentwood to three victories scoring 19, 33, and 25 points in the games.  Smith continues to be the leading scorer in the South Puget Sound League 4A Conference at 24.9 points-per-game.

On Saturday evening, Smith scored 25 points as Kentwood defeated Federal Way 52 - 50.  On Thursday, Smith scored 33 points as Kentwood defeated Kent Meridian 57 - 53, and on Tuesday, Smith scored 19 points in a 60 - 29 blowout of Tahoma.  Kentwood opened the game with an 18 - 0 run and never looked back.

Moving to the Midwest, Harrison Barnes scored 13 and 26 points in two Ames victories.  Barnes' 13 points came in a 70 - 35 rout, while his 26 points came in a 22 point 81 - 59 victory on Friday night.  Ames is now 10 - 0 on the season.

Andre Dawkins scored 26 points with 15 coming in the second quater as Atlantic Shores defeated Norfolk Collegiate 71 - 55.  Dawkins made four three pointers in the contest.

Tyler Thornton scored 10 points as Gonzaga defeated Bishop McNamara 67 - 41.  He followed that performance up with 11 points on Friday night in a 67 - 40 victory over Bishop Ireton.

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 5

[private]It is the time of year for Hoilday Tournaments with the City of Palms Classic and the Chick-fil-A Classic both involving players committed to or being pursued by Duke.

At the City of Palms, John Wall scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out nine assists as Word of God defeated American Heritage 63-61. Wall also had two blocks and three steals. On Saturday afternoon, Word of God will face off against St. Patrick's and UNC commitment Dexter Strickland.

On Saturday afternoon, at the Chick-fil-A, the much awaited Ravenscroft and Christ School game will take place.  Both schools feature a player who has signed with Duke: Ryan Kelly for Ravenscroft and Mason Plumlee for Christ School.  The winner of this game has a potential second round game against Miller School which is led by Marshawn Powell and Mychal Parker.  Of course, Miller School has to take care of business and win their first game.  Here is the tournament bracket.

In other games earlier this week:

On Tuesday night, Christ School scored 31 unanswered points including the last 21 points of the first half in a 96-52 win over Asheville Christian. Mason Plumlee scored 14 points in the game. Plumlee scored 13 points on Thursday as the Greenies defeated Greenville SC High School 88-41. This game featured a 25 point Christ School run including the last 16 points of the first half.

Brandon Knight scored 40 points as Pine Crest defeated North Broward Prep 84-52.  Knight made five three point baskets and dished out 10 assists in the game.

Harrison Barnes scored 19 points, all in the first half, as Ames defeated Cedar Falls 77-40.

Josh Smith dropped 30 points on Jefferson as Kentwood won 66-43.

Andre Dawkins scored 17 points as Atlantic Shores pummeled Green Run 78-41.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 4

[private]This week's theme is marquee match-ups: Ravenscroft versus Greensboro Day, Pine Crest versus American Heritage, and Gonzaga versus Bishop O'Connell. These games involved Duke commits Ryan Kelly and Tyler Thornton, and Duke recruiting target Brandon Knight; plus Florida commit Kenny Boynton and Carolina commit Kendall Marshall.

Ryan Kelly helped Ravenscroft improve to 8 – 0 with a 29 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots, and four steals performance against Greensboro Day. Ravenscroft won 56 - 42 and is headed toward a showdown with Christ School on December 20, 2008, in Columbia, SC. It will be exciting to see Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee go head-to-head.

Brandon Knight out dueled Kenny Boynton once again and Pine Crest defeated American Heritage 74 - 72 on Friday night. Knight outscored Boynton 35 - 32 in the individual match-up. Knight and Pine Crest have defeated Boynton and American Heritage in four of their last five meetings.

Tyler Thornton scored 23 points in the game but his Gonzaga team came up short, 65 – 60, against Kendall Marshall and Bishop O’Connell. Marshall scored 15 points for O’Connell. In his latest game, on Friday night, Thornton scored 16 points in a 66 - 55 Gonzaga victory over Mount St. Joseph.

Mason Plumlee was the leading scorer in three Christ School victories this week. He scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked four shots, and tallied four assists, on Monday as Christ School defeated Carolina Day 77 – 41. On Tuesday, Mason scored 18 points in a 90 – 35 rout of Shannon Forest. The Greenies are now 9 – 0 on the season.  On Saturday, he scored 21 points in a 81 - 30 blowout of Providence Day.

Andre Dawkins continues to be impressive for Atlantic Shores Christian School. Last Saturday, in the ASCS Tip-Off Championship Game, Dawkins and Steven Pledger executed a pick and roll that resulted in Dawkins draining an 18 foot buzzer beating jump shot giving Atlantic Shores a 56 – 54 victory over Miller School. Miller School was paced by Marshawn Powell and Mychal Parker who both scored 19 points. Steven Pledger, who has signed a Letter of Intent to play for Coach Jeff Capel at Oklahoma, scored 34 points and was named the tournament MVP. Dawkins finished the game with 15 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Josh Smith scored 21 points on Thursday as Kentwood went on the road and defeated Auburn Riverside 65 – 62 to improve to 2 – 1 on the year. Earlier in the week, Kentwood lost to Federal Way, the number one ranked team in Washington State, 61 – 53. Josh Smith scored 19 points in the loss. The 6’9” 280 Junior is averaging 24 points per game so far this season.  Smith is the third leading scorer in the South Puget Sound League 4A Conference.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 3

[private]Harrison Barnes and the Ames High School Little Cyclones have their sights set on the State Tournament this year. They took the first step in their journey with a 66 - 34 defeat of Urbandale. Barnes scored 16 points in the game including nine in the first quarter as the Little Cyclones opened up the game with an 18 - 2 run. The Des Moines Register has very nice Harrison Barnes overview and picture gallery posted.

Barnes scored a game high 19 points on Friday night as Ames improved to 2 – 0 with a 61 - 31 victory over Roosevelt.

Brandon Knight is filling up the box score for Pine Crest on a routine basis. This past week he scored 29 and 43 points in two Panther victories. His 43 points in a 70 – 67 win over Choice Academy included seven three point shots, while he sank four three pointers and dished out seven assists in his 29 point performance in the 66 – 29 win over Coral Springs Charter.

Andre Dawkins scored 28 points as Atlantic Shores defeated Cox 93 – 68 in the opening round of the ASCS Tip-off on Thursday evening. He followed up with a 23 point performance on Friday as Atlantic Shores defeated Tallwood 69 - 66.

Ryan Kelly continues to put up extraordinary numbers. On Wednesday, he had a triple-double of 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 blocked shots in a 76 – 64 defeat of Riverside. On Friday night, Kelly scored 19 points in a 59 – 42 win at Providence Day. Ravenscroft is now 5 – 0 for the season.

Mason Plumlee scored 21 points to pace Christ School to an easy 77-45 victory over Spartanburg Day School. Plumlee made two three point shots in the contest. Mason’s younger brother, Marshall, contributed 10 points and three blocked shots. On Friday night, Plumlee scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked eight shots in a 79 – 54 road win at Forsyth Country Day. The Greenies desire to go 38 – 0 and win a state championship this season. Christ School will match up against Ravenscroft on December 20, 2008, in Columbia, S.C.

The Washington Post has an enjoyable Tyler Thornton video posted. Gonzaga College High School has opened their season with a pair of wins. On Thursday night, Thornton scored 11 points in a 79 – 44 win over St. Albans. In their season opener, Thornton scored six points in a 69 – 40 decision over Sidwell Friends. Unfortunately, the box scores do not include assists as Thornton is a pass first point guard and his assists to turnover ratio is the key statistic for Duke Basketball fans.

Finally, Josh Smith and Kentwood High School played their first game of the season on Friday night.  Smith scored 32 points in the 68 - 47 victory over Kent-Meridian.  The Seattle Times ranks Kentwood as the number five team in the state.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 2

[private]
The Virginia-Pilot says anything short of a state title will be a disappointment for Shores this season. The Seahawks are led by junior guard Andre Dawkins. The 6'5" Dawkins was second team All-Tidewater last year and has given a verbal commitment to play basketball at Duke. Senior Steven Pledger, who has signed a Letter of Intent to attend Oklahoma, is Dawkin's back court mate. Atlantic Shores plays in the private schools league but the Virginia-Pilot ranks them as the third best team overall in South Hampton Roads.

Andre Dawkins scored 25 points as the Seahawks opened their season with a 66 - 32 victory over Wilson. Pledger chipped in 20 points. Atlantic Shores is back in action on Monday December 1st as they open up conference play at Stonebridge.

Ryan Kelly has scored 32, 31, and 28 points in three Ravenscroft victories to open the season. They defeated Northern Durham 76 - 57, Greenfield 75 - 68, and St. David's 82 - 48. Kelly has also had double digit rebounds in each game including 14 in the St. David’s game.  A couple of key dates to look toward are January 7, and February 4, 2009, when Ravenscroft travels to Word of God, the school which features John Wall the nation’s number one rated high school prospect according to Rivals.

Ravenscroft, Word of God, and Christ School will all participate in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational starting December 26 and running through December 30. This is an opportunity for fans to see Duke Commitments Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly plus recruiting target John Wall in action against each other. Tournament games will be played at Broughton High School’s Holliday Gymnasium.

Brandon Knight and Pine Crest High School played their first game of the season on Wednesday November 26 and Brandon Knight made five three pointers and scored 36 points as the Panthers defeated Northeast 76 - 62. Knight is a true point guard and a coveted member of the Class of 2010. Duke is one of many colleges recruiting the talented player.

This excellent article from the Miami Herald discusses Brandon Knight and Kenny Boynton and is a must read for anyone interested in high school basketball. Knight and Boynton are two of the best players in the nation and AAU teammates, but during the high school season they go against each other head-to-head multiple times. Brandon Knight led Pine Crest to victory in three of four meetings against Kenny Boynton and American Heritage last season.[/private]

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Andre Dawkins – the recruitee and the recruiter

BDN has another informative interview with the always interesting Andre Dawkins -

Well, let's just get right down to it!  How did your visit to Duke go?

It went great!  We got what we wanted.  You couldn't really ask for more because we wanted them both. (Hairston and Thornton) They both committed and we were really excited about it.

You've become quite the recruiter!  [private] You've got it going on.  Is this something they've (staff) talked to you about or did you just take the role upon yourself?

I definitely took it upon myself because I want to have the best team that I can.  I I ever see that I can help in any way, I'm all for it.  They told me before I can that they wanted me to be the leader in the class, so I've taken that role trying to get everybody to come.  I'm just trying to help my team out, that's all.

Well I'd say you're doing a good job!  So who might be next?  Are you game for Harrison Barnes?

Oh yeah.  I've been after Harrison for awhile now.  He's probably mad he gave me his phone number (semi serious, yet laughing).

Is it that bad? (joking)

I text him all the time.  I did the night they (Hairston, Thornton) committed.  I was joking with him saying he was next.

How did he respond to that?

He just laughs it off.  So, we'll see.  I don't think he is ready to make a decision anytime soon.

Do you think he likes Duke?

I think so.  I really think he does.  He has a couple of other schools there who've been on him for awhile.

What was it like seeing Tyler for the first time in awhile?

That's always cool.  Just knowing I will be going to school with him in two years is just kind of surreal.  I can tell it's going to be a lot of fun because we get along so well.  We actually got to hang out that whole night and the next morning.

Did you grimace when it was time to leave?

You always want to stay, but we got to leave but we'll be back.  We'll all be back down for the Blue-White game, I think.   And we'll probably all take our officials together.  We're going to be a pretty close group.

At this point, for any of us - I don't think it has really sunk in that we're going to be playing basketball at Duke University.  We were talking with Elliot (Williams) about it and he said it hadn't really sunk in with him yet being a part of such a great basketball program.

Who did you guys hit it off with?

We were basically with Elliot the whole night.  Elliot, Miles and Mason, but all the guys are really cool.  You really can't ... you really couldn't tell it was our first time being there because the team treats us like we had been there, like we are already a part of the family.  Elliott showed us around the campus and you could tell it wasn't just a chore for him.  He genuinely like wanted to do it.

You guys played some pick up games!  (kidding) So, who did you dog and who dogged you?

Jon Scheyer got me pretty good, but I got him back a couple of times, but Tyler's team ... Tyler, Jon and Josh won most of the games.

What is it like to have access to a practice facility where Elton Brand may walk in one day in the off season and Trajan Langdon the next?  Has it sunk in yet that you are going to always be a part of the Duke family?

It's pretty awesome.  You can;t say too much about the practice facility.  I mean, I just love that place.  Jsoh and I were talking about how great it will be to have access to it 24/7 and that's amazing.  It's got a great film room and weight area.  You really couldn;t ask much more of a facility than that.

When you guys first went down did you like say, okay guys, this is it ...

I knew that Josh was going to commit a while ago, but Tyler was thinking of waiting until November.  I didn't really have to tell them - Coach K did a great job with that.

How did the commitments transpire?

Josh and his family were the first to go in and talk to Coach K.   When they came out they were all really happy about the decision.  He told me he had officially committed and I told him congratulations.   The assistants were all really happy.  Then Tyler went and talked to Coach K and he committed and he was really excited about it.  He was smiling ear to ear.

It seems like there were a lot of grins going around ...

Yeah, right after that we went out to the mall and his parents just bought a whole bunch of Duke stuff.  It was funny.

Speaking of funny, I understand there is someone else who surprised you ...

Yeah, Coach K!  He's actually pretty funny.  I didn't know that about him, but he is a funny guy.  We went to the second half of the football game and then he showed us some tapes of Team USA.  He talked about how there are different roles on the team and things like that. [/private]